


Fettuccine

by King_Author



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Booker deserved better, Booker | Sebastien le Livre Needs Therapy, Exiled Booker | Sebastien le Livre, Fettuccine the cat - Freeform, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, M/M, Nile Freeman Needs a Hug, POV Nile Freeman, Post-Movie: The Old Guard (2020), The Guard as Family, The Old Guard and their cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:21:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29187735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/King_Author/pseuds/King_Author
Summary: Nile finds a stray kitten who reminds them of another stray in need of love.“I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.” Nicky stood with his hands in his pockets. “Joe said that you might want this,” he held up a little pint of ice cream and a spoon.A figure darted to the other side of Nile’s room, and she could tell the exact moment when Nicky knew she was full of shit.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache & Booker & Nile Freeman & Joe & Nicky & Quynh | Noriko, Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Nile Freeman, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Nile Freeman & Nicky | Nicolo di Genoa, Nile Freeman & Team
Comments: 4
Kudos: 73





	Fettuccine

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I shamelessly stole the idea of The Old Guard adopting a cat from @luminarai on Tumblr and then I went rogue. Enjoy.
> 
> Here are all of Luminarai's Fettuccine posts: https://luminarai.tumblr.com/tagged/fettuccine-the-cat
> 
> Thanks for reading and enjoy! Also, let me know if you'd like more of these fics. I'd love to write an adult Fettuccine taking down a bad guy like the Old Guard's little security system.

Nile’s hands are clutched into fists as she struggles against the blankets. The dream isn’t clear, and Nile can’t keep track of the story. Booker stares at her, tears in his eyes, but when Nile looks back at him, all she can feel is a deep-seated hatred. It’s the flash of anger that jolts Nile awake. For a moment, she forgets where she is. But it comes back to her in a harsh wall of memories: Merrick, the bullets she took for Andy, the bullets she had to take for Andy, and the ones she would gladly take again for her new family. 

Nile rolls over in her bed. She’s breathing heavily and rubs the sleep from her eyes. It’s early and the light is just starting to come in through her basement window. Nile knows that she won’t be getting any more sleep any time soon, but she turns over anyway. 

A flash of white catches her eye as she goes to turn on her side and Nile sits up. It’s an instinct and one that has saved her life before. But this time, instead of reaching for her handgun on her nightstand, she laughs.

The basement room she is staying in is small, not much larger than a walk-in closet, but it felt wrong to make any of the others sleep down there. And it’s nice, really. It’s peaceful and private, and exactly what Nile needs right now. The aftermath of Merrick’s still hangs over the entire group’s heads, and the hole in their group is all the more obvious. The least they could do is offer Nile some time to adjust. They went back to the states, not Chicago obviously, but close enough. They’re holed up in a nondescript house in the midwest, close enough that Nile can train and adjust to life as a near-immortal while still checking up on her family. 

The room has a window for egress in the case of an emergency that allows Nile some sunlight, while not blinding her. She hadn’t thought about the critters that could get stuck down there. Nile pulls open the blinds. Pawing at her window, meowing and whining, is a kitten. He’s so small and thin and helpless, Nile can’t help but gasp. In an instant, she has the window open and is climbing out. The kitten squeaks out a meow and backs into the wall. He hisses at her hand and bites at her finger when she lifts him. 

Nile is already smitten.

The kitten looks up at Nile, bright, frightened blue eyes warning her not to come any closer. Nile smiles down at the creature, cooing.

Nile closes the door behind her, ensuring that the kitten remains in the room. The plan is to just run out real quick for some essentials: cat food, cat bed, toys, medicine probably? Nile isn’t really sure what to expect, she’s never had a pet before. She could hardly afford to feed her brother and herself when Mom had to work late, let alone an animal. 

She feels like a child again, stepping on the outsides of each step to ensure that it doesn’t creak. In hindsight, this never worked in the past. But she’s basically immortal now, so maybe she’ll also inherit some super-sneaking-around skills.

“Nile!”

Guess not.

“Good morning,” Nicky greets her quietly. “Coffee?”

“Actually, I’m just heading out.”

“This early? Why?” he asks. And it’s so freaking hard to lie to Nicky, not that he’d buy it anyway. But, he’s just so genuine. He honestly wants to know about her.

Nile looks around the room, briefly. “Where’s Joe?” Nile asks. “I thought you two’d be inseparable by now.” 

She catches Nicky blushing, and uses the diversion to quickly pack up her backpack and wallet. 

“I thought I’d let him rest, he’s been working hard,” Nicky smirks into his coffee mug. 

Nile smiles at him, warm and genuine. “And on that note, I’mma head out.” She makes a break for the door, but Nicky pauses.

“Where are you going?” 

He’s not an idiot. He’s going to find out sooner or later. But Nile is going to hope for later.

“I didn’t-- I mean,” she pauses, flustered. “I got my period and I need a tampon.”

Nicky goes red and stares into his coffee.

Nile can’t believe that worked. 

Men. 

She slipped out the door before Nicky’s face had returned to its normal color.

Nile had explained to the pet store her predicament and, although they recommended that she bring the kitten in for shots and a check-up, they had shown her what would work for now. She had taken out cash so that the team couldn’t view her purchases. (Andy had said that the cards were only to be used for necessities, and Joe had winked over her shoulder to Nile. That seemed as close to a green-light as she was gonna get). And then she had purchased every single recommendation made by the pet store employees. Flea and tick medicine, toys, the most expensive food, a lush cat bed that if the kitten didn’t enjoy, Nile would gladly use as a pillow, and a laser-pointer (that one was more just for Nile). And of course, she bought some tampons and pads for her cover story. (Do immortal women get their periods? Nile assumed she would find out eventually.) 

She forced her purchases into four bags so that she could carry everything in one trip. She opened the front door of their unsuspecting ranch and walked as briskly as she could inside. Nicky was in the kitchen. He turned to look at her as she walked in, but he quickly averted his eyes, still embarrassed. Joe was up now, engrossed in a game on the TV. He said a quick hello, his eyes only darting to look in her direction once, before meeting Nicky’s gaze.

Nile had a bad feeling.

But, she continued with her plan anyway. She ran down the stairs as unsuspecting as she could and found the kitten under her bed, curled up and asleep. 

Nile cooed at the kitten and tickled him with her finger. He didn’t budge, which Nile took as a sign that she should begin making her little room into a home for him. 

She set up the cat bed she purchased and put it together. It was five foam boards that slid together to make a box, complete with a plush cushion. Then she got the toys out, little balls that jingled when shook, feathers on a string, even a remote-controlled mouse. Finally, she set up the kitten’s water and food bowls along with a self-cleaning litter box. They were automatic so that the little guy would never have to worry about finding food or where to relieve himself.

Once all that was done, Nile sat on the floor and lured the kitten out from under her bed using the feather toy. He was a bit hesitant but pounced on the feather after a couple of minutes of coaxing. When he saw the water bowl, he walked right up to it and began to drink. 

“Oh, good boy!” Nile exclaimed softly. She reached her hand out slowly, she didn’t want to frighten him, but she wanted to see how thin he was. 

A knock from behind her door made both Nile and the kitten jump. The kitten scurried back underneath Nile’s bed. With a huff, Nile stood up and opened the door a crack.

“I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.” Nicky stood with his hands in his pockets. “Joe said that you might want this,” he held up a little pint of ice cream and a spoon.  
A figure darted to the other side of Nile’s room, and she could tell the exact moment when Nicky knew she was full of shit.

His eyes narrowed and Nile could see the gears in his head-turning. His right hand shot to his pocket, obviously assessing the situation, then he softened and pushed past Nile into her room.  
Nile sighed and closed the door behind him. 

She had heard that Nicky was a priest, but for some reason, she never suspected him to be quite this gentle with the kitten. He dropped the ice cream onto the nightstand and immediately dropped to his knees.

Compared to Nicky who had taken out the people in Merrick’s compound without blinking, this one was a completely different person. For one, the kitten, who had hidden and hissed at Nile, was now investigating Nicky and purring.

And Nicky was joining in. He was humming under his breath as he let his fingertips stroke the kitten’s back. He mumbled words that Nile couldn’t yet understand.``Oh, piccolo…” and “il Mio bambino…” When he was done, not only was the kitten nodding off in his lap, but Nicky had a smile on his lips larger than Nile had ever seen. Granted, it’s been less than a week that she’s known them, but still. It was huge. 

Nicky sighed, before looking up at Nile. “What’s his name?”

“I just found him outside…” her voice trailed off. 

Nicky cocked his head, his smile widening. “So, we get to name him, yes?”

Nile nodded, unsure of where this was going, but liking the path they were taking.

A laugh broke through Nicky’s quiet deliberation. “If Joe knew we had a cat, he would want to name it something sophisticated like George,” he pronounced every syllable, like Jee-ORE-Age.

Nile laughed, tilting her head back. “But you…”

“He is a very handsome kitty-cat,” Nicky said, enunciating each syllable of the word.  
Nile’s smile widened and Nicky softened.

“It is good to see you smiling, Piccola,” Nicky murmured. “I cannot imagine how difficult this transition must have been for you--”

Nile shook her head. “I’m fine, I’m more worried about this lil guy.” She moved to scratch him under his chin but the kitten threw open his eyes and hissed.

Nicky laughed for the first time that Nile had ever seen. She couldn’t stop smiling.  
“I think he wants you to name him,” Nile said.

In a shit-eating grin that shows all of his teeth, Nicky said, “Andy will hate this.”

Fettuccine the Cat was the kitten’s official name on account of his white and cream-colored coat and his immediate taking to Nicky. 

With Nicky’s help, Fettuccine was (gently) stuffed in a backpack and snuck out for a visit to the vet. After the all-clear from the doctor, Fettuccine was microchipped, got a collar, and was ready to go to his forever home. 

When Nicky and Nile walk back through the doors of their safehouse, Andy is waiting for them. She’s standing with her arms crossed, her face unreadable. Joe is no better, standing sheepishly behind her.

Andy doesn’t say anything, she just holds out her hands. 

Nile turns around her backpack and clutches it against her chest. She looks at Nicky, but he has his eyes narrowed at Joe.

“What are you going to do to him?”

Andy just flexes her hand until Nile gingerly hands over her backpack.  
Joe takes a step forward, curious.

All Andy has to do is unzip the backpack an inch before a white paw, claws extended, shoots out of the parcel.

Andy gasps and drops the backpack. Both Nicky and Nile make a rush for Fettuccine but it’s Joe who catches him.

Fettuccine pops his head out of the backpack and looks around his surroundings.

“Nicky…” Joe chides. “You didn’t tell me how handsome he was!” Joe smiles, big and bright.

Nicky moves to pet Fettuccine, who leans into his touch.

Andy stands off to the side, shaken. “Get that thing, out of this house.”

Nile wants to laugh. “You serious? Andy, it’s a cat.”

“Don’t mind her,” Joe said. “She’s just a coward.”

Andy’s eyes narrow. “I just don’t think you should be friends with your food.”

“You eat cats?” Nile walks briskly to the other side of the room, to protect Fettuccine.

“Cristo, no,” Nicky laughs. “Andy was attacked by a cat in--”

Andy’s eyes widen, but she’s smiling. “You wanna tell stories?” She crosses her arms against her chest. “One time, Nicky thought that the lions at the zoo looked lonely--”

“Abuse!” Nicky shouted across the room. “I thought they needed saving!”

Joe wrapped his arms around Nicky’s waist. “My love’s heart sometimes leads him to do stupid,” Nicky looks at Joe, shocked, “but incredibly kind deeds.”

At this, even Nile has to laugh. But Andy hasn’t moved from her position away from Fettuccine. 

As if a mind-reader, Fettuccine leaps from Joe’s arms and onto the floor. His tail goes up as he bee-lines straight for Andy. She visibly flinches until he begins to rub against her legs. 

“Awww,” Joe says. “I think he likes you.”

Andy slowly lets herself sink to the floor. Fettuccine continues to walk around her, rubbing his scent on her clothes. When Andy crosses her legs, Fettuccine takes the open invitation to plop down on her lap.

Andy’s eyes scan her family, but none of them come to her rescue. Instead, Nile goes in for the kill.

“So, can we keep ‘im?” 

Andy swears to God that Nile was fluttering her lashes too. That bitch.

The Old Guard has never owned a pet before. Owning a pet makes it harder to travel, and not traveling makes it harder to avoid detection. However, due to Andy’s mortality and wanting to keep an eye on Nile’s family, the group decides to stay in the States for a bit.

Fettuccine ends up making quite the therapy cat. He somehow knows when it’s time for Andy to take a break, to lie down, and to heal for a bit. He’ll just start running loops around her legs until she sits, and then he’ll lay on her until they’re both asleep.

Nile was in the backyard sparring with Andy when she slipped up. 

Joe and Nicky still practiced with Andy, but it wasn’t the same. They held back now that she was mortal, and they all knew it.

Nile promised Andy that she would be different. She would go at 100%. No kid gloves. 

She lied, of course. Until Andy began trash talking. 

Andy threw a jab at Nile, spitting, “Oh come on. I thought you were a marine.”

Nile didn’t say anything back. She just ducked and evaded.

Andy pushed harder, feigning a punch to the stomach so that she could turn around and instead use her foot to trip Nile, pinning her to the ground.

“And I thought you were a God.” Nile elbowed Andy as she flipped onto her stomach and got to her feet. She returned to her fighting stance only to realize that Andy was still on the ground.

“Shit,” Andy held her nose in her hands.

“Oh my god.” Nile gasped and ran to Andy. “Joe, Nicky!”

“It’s fine.” Andy had blood running down her chin. “It’s fine.”

“Andy you look like fucking Carrie.” Nile shook her head. “I’m so sorry, I-I forgot--”

“Me too, kid.”

That evening, Fettuccine was purring on Andy’s lap as Nicky finished applying the bandages to Andy’s broken nose. 

“Andy, I--” Nile began.

“If you try to apologize to me one more time--”

“Sorry!” Nile blurted. “Beat’cha.”

Andy just shook her head. “Ow!” She winced as Nicky worked.

Nicky muttered an apology. 

“At least someone still keeps me on my toes.” Andy throws a knowing look at Joe, who avoids her gaze.

“Sorry for not breaking you, boss.” Joe places his hands on his heart. “Next time, I promise.”

Fettuccine stands from Andy’s lap, stretches adorably, and pads away from the room.

Nile watches him walk, sadly, and is reminded of the other time her family has left her.

She looks around the room, at her family, and wonders aloud: “Do you think Fetch misses his family?”

She thinks of her family. Of her brother, who according to his Instagram, had just made the honor roll. And like her, Fettuccine just landed in the lap of these immortals. 

Andy snorts. “Of course not, he’s a cat.”

But Nicky just shakes his head. “He was meant to find us, Nile. This is how it was meant to be.”

There was a beat of silence. 

“Maybe he stabbed his family in the back,” Joe said, his voice above a whisper.

Andy smiled darkly at the thought. “Or shot them,” she added.

Nile whipped her head around. “Jesus, Joe. He’s a kitten,” said Nile.

“Booker is absolutely not a kitten,” Joe stood. Their nice family bonding time, apparently over.

Nicky just stood over the group, looking lost. “When did we start talking about Booker?”

“Joe,” Andy answered. Traitor.

“Nile brought it up,” he replied.

“I was asking about the fucking cat.”

“Oh, don’t play dumb. Booker is the cat!” Joe yells over his shoulder. 

Andy follows behind Joe. And then, it’s just Nicky and Nile in the living room.

“The cat is Fettuccine,” answered Nicky.

Nile shakes her head. “I know.”

Another reason Nile is grateful for the basement room, nobody can hear her scream. 

Nile thrashes around her twin bed, wrestling with the invisible chains keeping her under the water. After a week of having Fettuccine, Nile was used to being awoken by loud purring at her neck with a warm kitten shoving against her cheek.

Tonight, Nile is awoken by a long form gently laying beside her and running their hands down her back.

Nile stiffens, but the person beside her whispers, “It’s okay.”

Nile’s breathing slowly evens out again, but not with sleep. She turns over so that she is facing her midnight visitor. “Andy?”

Andy smiles weakly at her, letting her hand trace Nile’s arm down to her hand.

“Did I wake you?” Nile pulls away from Andy, sitting up.

Andy pulls Nile back down. “No, no. I mean, yeah. But it’s okay.” She sighs and rolls onto her back. “Booker used to hide his nightmares.” She looks up at the ceiling. “Please, don’t do that.”

Nile mirrors Andy’s positioning. She looks up and imagines the boys just above her. “Do Joe and Nicky know?”

Andy hums an uncertain sound. “Just know that you’re not alone.”

Nile doesn’t know where it comes from. This flash of anger that she feels in this moment. Andy’s words ring in her ears and it seems to hit her all at once.

“But I am.” Her voice breaks and Nile turns away, ashamed. “I am and you’ll never understand.”

Andy sits up and puts her hand on Nile’s side, attempting to turn her back.

Nile flinches out of Andy’s touch and gasps. “I’m so sorry.” 

Andy stills and waits, her expression a mystery in the dark.

“If you want me to tell you about it, I will.”

Andy nods slowly, but Nile doesn’t return to the bed.

“It’s not just that I’m drowning. I’m drowning and I’m praying and I’m thinking of my Andromache.” Her voice curls around the words, tainted after five hundred years of suffering. “And the only person who I can bitch about it to--” her voice breaks off, as Nile realizes that she’s crying. 

Andy is just watching her as if she’s unsure of what to do. 

Nile wipes her face and mutters, “Sorry…” as she leaves the room. 

As she walks down the hall to the bathroom, she calls for her cat. Fettuccine has woken her from every nightmare. Why not tonight?

Nile gently called his name, her voice still thick with tears. She pads up the stairs, not bothering to silent her steps. 

“Fetch?” she was whining now. Panic rising in the pit of her stomach. 

She couldn’t help it, the anxiety taking over her chest. Her hands began to shake as she imagined losing Fettuccine so soon after her mother, her brother, Booker… and then another thought hit her, Booker was right.

The sob that caught in her throat, cut off her breathing. Nile took a gasping breath and before she could force out another, Joe and Nicky were at her side.

She tried to wave them off but found her panic overwhelming any attempt at communication.

Nicky takes slow, even breaths with her, trying to stop the hyperventilation. Joe rubs circles into her back and holds her hand as she crumples to the floor.

And Andy walks slowly up the stairs, holding Fettuccine as far as she can away from her body, and gently placing him in Nile’s lap. 

Fettuccine begins to purr, and Nile presses her face into his fur. She sniffles but has a small grin on her lips as her kitten begins to paw at the tears on her face.

Andy sits back on the floor, sighing. She looks back and forth between Joe and Nicky, and lands on Nile. 

“This isn’t working.”

All three heads shoot up to look at Andy. 

Nile opened her mouth to object, but Andy silences her with a hand.

“Not you.” Something in her eyes shine. If Nile were braver, she’d call it pride. Andy turns back to the boys. “And before you object, this is for Nile.”

Nicky nods, his hand slowly intertwining around Joe’s.

“We need to bring Booker back.”

Nile watches as Nicky’s hand strains against Joe’s. “I can’t ask you--” Nile begins but stops as she sees Joe open his mouth.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” Joe begins, glancing nervously at Nile, “but you look terrible, Nile.”

Nile gives a soft laugh. “Fuck you, too.”

“He’s right, kid. Didn’t they teach you that sleep deprivation is a form of torture?”

Nile nods at Andy. “And Booker hasn’t slept for over two hundred years.” She shakes her head. “You guys, stay here. I’ll go.”

Joe tightens again but it’s Nicky who speaks, “We’re not splitting up.”

“Not when we don’t know what Booker’s planning,” Joe added.

Nile just shook her head. “That’s why you should stay here.”

Andy clears her throat and holds out her phone. “Just sent him our coordinates.”

Nile moves to speak but Andy just smiles at her, in that sad barely-there way that she does. “I’m not gonna lose anyone else.” She reaches out and takes Nile’s hand. “Not when I only just found you.”

And with her family, Nile felt hope.


End file.
